Car ownership, can be a joy so it’s worth while considering just how important it is to take care of your car properly.
Car ownership is like owing any other gadget or item – if you don’t look after it properly, you will eventually need to replace it.
Here are just five of the key car ownership mistakes that people have made in the past, that have cost them far more than they could have imagined.
The Wrong Wheels
Believing that you are a car expert, when you are new to the world of automobiles can be a disastrous car ownership mistake to try and pull off. For instance, installing oversized wheels is a rookie mistake and will eventually cause you nothing but massively expensive problems. You can eventually damage the fenders and wheel wells for your vehicle and leave yourself with a huge bill to pay and no car for quite some time.
Unaligned Tyres
Car Ownership Mistakes
Tyres care is a big part of car ownership, and aligning them in the wrong manner is a mistake that plenty of people do. If you’re putting on new tyres make sure they are properly aligned. Failure to do so will see your tyre’s running out much quicker than you ever thought possible!
Ignoring Oil Changes
Just like anything else that uses oil, it has to be changed and re-mixed from time to time. Whilst oil technology has improved in the last generation or so, it’s still vital to make sure that your car gets an oil change from time to time. If you fail to do so, this car ownership mistake will eventually start to cause your engine to wear out, as there will not be efficient enough lubricant. This can be an expensive problem to clean up, in more ways than one.
Buying Cheap Batteries
Sometimes, trying to save money on vehicle maintenance will only cost you far more in the long-term. A dead battery as you might imagine is useless. When buying a car battery, look online for the exact battery type for your vehicle and try going for one of the better ranges. Buying a cheap replacement to save a few pounds may cost you extra money for a battery charger and a replacement, so try not to scrimp and save in this department.
Unprofessional Body Work
The last thing that your vehicle needs is cheap bodywork – if you have dented or damaged your car, get a professional to fix the problem. Your mate with a hammer or that DIY specialist with his own garage out the back, might not be the best people to really help you, as it may end up costing you far more in the future.
If you can think of any other car ownership mistakes you want to shout, about feel free to let me know.
To health and vehicle happiness,
Your fearless mechanic,
Phil.
It may be obvious, but your car tyre’s are the only things keeping your car on the road.
I always suggest to my customers that they tyre check regularly. In fact, most vehicle manuals recommend you tyre check every week, but every 2-4 weeks should be more than adequate. Oh…and while you’re at it don’t forget to tyre check the spare.
Checking Tyre Tread
Tyre Check
A top priority is in making sure that you tyre check the treads, so that the depth of the tread is sufficient for your car to be driven in any condition.
If you’ve ever watched Formula One (F1) you may of seen in action, or heard of something called Hydroplaning. It’s basically when the car’s tyre tread has the inability to cut through water to touch the road, causing the car to “float” across the road surface.
Is it dangerous? Yes, and even more so if you haven’t tyre check your car for the correct tyre tread and depth.
Simply… the more tread on your tires, the less likely your car will hydroplane, and the less likely you are to crash or cause an accident, the same principles also applies for driving in the snow.
Tyre Depth
Tyre Check
In the UK the minimum legal tyre depth is 1.6mm, which is over ¾ of the central width of the tyre around the whole circumference.
Fortunately most tyre’s, have tyre tread depth indicator blocks to show when your tyre depth is down to 1.6mm limit. If on inspection, you tyre check and you notice that these indicator blocks are level with the depth of your tyre tread, then it’s a sign that you need to replace your tyre’s.
For those of you that have tyre checked and can’t find, or don’t have tyre indicator blocks, you can try the “10p tyre test”. It’s an old school tyre check test, but still one of the quickest and cheapest ways to tyre check the condition of your tires.
To tyre check the depth, simply place the 10p into the tyre tread, and if the tread covers the ring of dots on the 10p, then your tyre’s are legal.
Tyre Pressure
Although tyre tread is important, it equally essential to tyre check and ensure your tyre’s are correctly inflated to the right pressure.
Apart from giving your car less grip on the road, under inflated tyres will wear at the edges, and over inflated tyres will wear in the centers.
Tyre check for damage, bulges on the tyre are clear indicator that something is not quite as it should be. Also as a heads up, keep an eye out for any objects that may have punctured the tyre. But if you’re in doubt, and you need helping hand feel free to get in touch, we’d love to help.
To your vehicle health
By Philip Xavier